Is the Word You Hear Profiting You?

This scripture has been much on my mind the past few weeks…

“The gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.” Hebrews 4:2

This scripture refers to the first generation of the Israelites who Moses led out of the land of Egypt. God set them free from their oppressors. They had been in Egypt 400 years. After Joseph’s death, over time, a Pharaoh arose who did not know Joseph and it was under him that the Israelites became slaves in Egypt, forced to do the hardest of labor.

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Signs of the Times We Live in

For the past few years in Illinois, a satanist group has put a display with their “baby” Baphomet (it looks like a demon) in a manger in the capital building in Springfield during the Christmas season. Baphomet is a goat-like Satanic deity, and the display was set up next to a traditional Christian Nativity display. News media reported that members of the Satanic Temple of Illinois stood around proclaiming “Hail, Satan!” and giving explanation of their peaceful, loving intent. A few steps away, Christian protesters from the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property were kneeling and praying near the Christian nativity scene. They displayed signs with slogans such as “Satan Has No Rights” and “Begone, Satan! Mary Crushes the Serpent.” 

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Psalm 91: A Prayer of Protection

God wants to protect His peopIe in the midst of the chaos of our day. Psalm 91 is a confession, an assertion of His desire and of His love and protection for us. I always pray this to the Lord as a statement and confession of my faith in His word. You can too! He will keep us!

“I dwell in the secret place of the Most High and abide under the shadow of the Almighty

“I shall say of the Lord, You are my refuge and my fortress, my God, in You do I trust.

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Don’t Throw Away Your Love

According to the bible, faith works by love. Galatians 5:6 “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.”

The Passion Translation of that verse says: “When you’re placed into the Anointed One and joined to Him, circumcision and religious obligations can benefit you nothing. All that matters now is living in the faith that is activated and brought to perfection by love.”

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What Does it Mean That Jesus is the Light of the World?

What does light do? When you walk into a dark room and turn on a light switch, what happens? The darkness is not there anymore. It disappears. This is much more than an object lesson. It has spiritual applications also.

The light exposes things that are hidden. If you are looking for something in the dark, will you not turn on a light so that you can find it?

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The Gates of Hell Shall Not Prevail

I have always had a question in my mind about Matthew 16:18. “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” Perhaps some of my misunderstanding comes from my Catholic background which always said Peter was the pope, but that is not the part I had questions about. I have long ago discarded the Catholic teaching as the truth of this passage. This scripture is about so much more.

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If You’ve Seen Me, You’ve Seen the Father

Jesus made this statement in John 14:9 when one of His disciples said “show us the Father.“Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

Please realize the context of this. These men had been with Him for a long time, witnessing supernatural events on a regular basis. They saw Him rebuke a storm, walk on water, cast out demons from people, heal all manners of sickness and disease, raise dead people, provide ample food where there was none for people who came to hear Him teach, find a coin in a fish’s mouth with which to pay their taxes and curse a tree and it withered. So, for one of them to say show us the Father would indicate someone wasn’t paying attention!! Jesus WAS showing them the Father!

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My 2021 Birthday/God With Us

A couple of friends visited me last night on my birthday while I was in the throes of a tooth infection. These were not like Job’s friends, who tried to explain to him why he was having so much trouble in life. These were friends bearing gifts. One brought me a Mexican dinner (yum), while the other brought dessert (double yum).

Before they left, one of my friends noticed a picture on my wall and asked what it was. It is a print of the Israelites’ wilderness tabernacle with the nation camped around it. The glory of God is seen coming down over the inner court of the tabernacle.

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Taking Every Thought Captive, Part 2

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ…” 2 Corinthians 10:4-5.

In the last post I talked about intimacy as the way to know how God thinks. Much like living day to day with a spouse or a child, one learns how that person thinks when they spend time with them. Intimacy is the key to knowing the ways of God and the thoughts of God.

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Taking Every Thought Captive, Part 1

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ…” 2 Corinthians 10:4-5.

The apostle Paul wrote this letter to the Corinthians. I dare say this passage of scripture is not for the casual believer, but demonstrates the sold out love attitude of the apostle who was determined to fulfill the will of God for his life and to be the best representation of Jesus in his world. We too can adopt this same attitude. I believe this is the mindset of the believer who pursues God with his whole heart, always waiting and watching for the Lord’s direction and action, one who listens closely, because he knows he needs answers from Heaven in order to navigate life. The fact remains: we do not know everything, no matter how smart we are.

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